


Better at thinking

by makerofaqueen



Series: Cotton candy outtakes [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: First Kiss, Fourth of July, M/M, Poor Tom, Spin the Bottle, Underage Drinking, ace characters, conchell caught in the act, cotton candy tom pov, poor poor tom, tom winters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 21:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14222157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makerofaqueen/pseuds/makerofaqueen
Summary: The fourth of july from Tom's POV. Getting his first kiss, accidentally walking in on Mitchell and Connor being intimate... the whole nine yards.





	Better at thinking

**Author's Note:**

> With love for fangirlsdontdocalm who requested a cecil/tom fic.

Cecil Markowitz was a flirt.

Tom knew this.

Cecil Markowitz flirted with everyone. Everyone except Tom Winters. This… now this bothered Tom. Sure, he knew Cecil never meant anything with his flirting, which was why he couldn’t understand why on earth Cecil flirted with everyone _but_ him. Towards Tom, Cecil was... reserved. Distant, even. And this, this bothered Tom, because he so, _so_ wanted Cecil to flirt with him, too, even if he didn’t mean anything by it.

Tom didn’t know much about relationships. He hadn’t even been kissed yet, which, for Tom, was as far as it went. He knew he didn’t want sex, which was the whole reason he had never pursued a relationship with anyone. He was scared he would be forced into something that he wasn’t comfortable with. But Cecil... Cecil seemed different. He seemed so soft, even for a Hermes boy. Sure, he was a prankster like the rest of them, but a softer one.

A nicer one.

Tom was terrible with emotions. Maps and charts and stuff like that he could understand, but feelings? No.

People? Hell no.

He went to his brother. Okay, so maybe asking another Athena-kid for advice on feelings wasn’t the best course of action, but Tom didn’t know many campers and he was comfortable with even fewer of them. He would have liked to talk to Annabeth but she was at college and he didn’t want to Iris-message her in case Percy was there. A phone call wasn’t even possible. Tom got panic attacks talking on the phone.

He grabbed Malcolm on the way back from arts and crafts.

‘C-can I t-t-talk to you?’

‘Sure, what's up?’

‘I... h-how does o-one know i-i-if...’ He blushed. ‘I-I think m-m-maybe I l-like someone.’

‘Yeah?’ Malcolm lit up, then he frowned. ‘I’m not really the best person to talk to about these things. I... You should talk to an Aphrodite kid. Mitchell’s great with these things.’

Tom shook his head frantically.

‘It’s not Mitchell, is it? Aphrodite kids are dangerous with their love-powers. Although I can admit he _is_ kind of cute...’

Tom frowned and shook his head.

‘Right, you’re the shy kind.’ Malcolm mused. ‘I don’t know, Tom. Have you tried talking to this person? Who is it, by the way?’

Tom blushed and looked away. He didn’t want to say that it was a Hermes kid because he was scared Malcolm would try to talk him out of it. He knew all too well how Mal felt about Hermes kids.

‘Nah, you don’t have to tell me.’ Malcolm smiled down at his shorter brother. ‘Well... fourth of July is coming up and... maybe have a drink to boost your confidence a little and go for it. Talk to them, at least.’

Tom nodded. It was a good idea. He just needed to think of something to say. Luckily, thinking was what he did best.

 

\-----------------------

 

Malcolm had dragged Tom into a game of spin the bottle. He didn’t even know what he was doing there because he _hated_ these kinds of teenage games. The only reason why he had agreed to come was because he hoped Cecil would be there. Okay so he was but it wasn’t like Tom suddenly developed enough confidence to actually talk to him. Instead, he was cradling the drink Malcolm had gotten him and refused to look at anyone. He didn’t notice the glances Cecil kept sending his way until the bottle landed on him and Malcolm nudged his shoulder.

Tom looked up with horror in his eyes and he noticed Cecil standing in front of him with his hand stretched out in front of him. Tom gulped. Cecil smiled down at him.

‘You’re up, wise boy.’

‘I...’

Cecil leaned down and whispered into his ear:

‘Would you be more comfortable if we were alone somewhere these idiots can’t see us?’

‘Yes.’

‘Grab my hand then and I’ll make it happen.’

So Tom did. He realized he trusted Cecil to take control over this situation. Cecil raised his voice:

‘If I’m going to kiss this pretty boy I’m going to do it somewhere more private. Excuse us,’ he said and dragged Tom into the dark forest.

Tom followed Cecil for a couple of minutes through camp until they reached the waterfront. He continued to drag the Athena boy out on the pier. They climbed the diving tower and sat down with their legs dangling over the edge.

‘T-t-th-thank you.’

Cecil smiled at him.

‘You didn’t look entirely comfortable back there.’

‘No,’ Tom said and looked down. ‘M-mal k-kind of f-f-forced me. H-he thinks I n-need t-to so-so-socia-a-a-lize.’

‘By playing spin the bottle?’ Cecil asked. Tom shrugged. ‘Well, I wanted to ask you something…’ Cecil continued. Tom looked over at him.

‘Yeah? G-go on.’

‘I… I was wondering if I could maybe kiss you?’

‘W-weren’t you su-supposed to?’

‘Not spin-the-bottle kiss you. Like, for real, actually kiss you and it means something.’

Tom looked at him puzzled.

‘L-like what?’

‘Wow. For a smart boy you really are dumb. That I like you, stupid.’

‘Y-you d-d-do?’

Cecil nodded. Tom could feel his cheeks heating up and he was thankful that it was dark. After a moment he realized that Cecil was still waiting for an answer so he took Cecil’s hand and forced out a:

‘Yes.’

‘You sure?’

He nodded. Cecil leaned in and his lips touched Tom’s briefly. Tom felt like he was going to die. In a totally good way.

Suddenly there was a loud splash and Cecil pulled back. They both peeked over the edge in time to see Mitchell of the Aphrodite cabin and Cecil’s own brother Connor resurface in the water.

‘What in the name of…’ Cecil muttered.

They watched from the tower as the two older boys swam ashore and started a heated make out session on the beach.

‘Took them long enough,’ Cecil mused. When Tom frowned questioningly he clarified: ‘They’ve been crushing on each other for a long time. Me and Solace have a bet on when they’d finally get together. I need to tell him he owes me some drachmas.’

Tom giggled, then he blushed as he heard Mitchell suggest they take it to the showers.

‘Gross,’ he muttered.

Cecil glanced at him.

‘Not big on intimacy, are you?’

‘N-not when it’s… s-sexual. I’m sorry,’ he added quickly because he thought Ceil would be upset about that. Cecil took his hand.

‘Don’t apologize. I… I’m not either. But even if I were… It’s not up to anyone but you, right?’

‘I… I guess…’

‘Can I touch you? Like, hugs and stuff? And kiss you?

Tom smiled now.

‘A-as much as y-you w-w-want.’

To this Cecil opened his arms and Tom, in a burst of confidence, crawled onto his lap. They sat like that, quiet, watching the stars.

‘I n-never p-p-pinned you f-for an ace,’ Tom mused after a while.

‘No?’

He shook his head.

‘Just… y-you’re s-s-such a-a flirt.’

Cecil barked out a laugh.

‘It’s my secret identity,’ he joked.

‘Mhm.’ Tom hummed. ‘H-have you ever…?’

Cecil suddenly got something sad in his eyes. It was hardly noticeable in the darkness, but Tom was attentive. Because he didn’t say much, he had gotten amazing at watching people and noticing things they didn’t think he did. Except that Cecil liked him. He had been totally oblivious to that. Cecil, however, quickly shook off whatever he was thinking about and said:

‘Yeah, I have, and it wasn’t all that great actually.’

‘O-obviously. A-are you e-ever g-g-going t-to tell m-me a-about it?’

‘Maybe one day, but for now though, can’t we just have this moment?’

Tom nodded. It was a very nice moment.

‘Sure.’

‘Thank you. So have you ever…?’

Tom shook his head. Cecil nuzzled his face in the crook of Tom’s neck. It made the Hermes boy seem vulnerable somehow. Tom kind of liked it. It made him seem less Hermes-y.

 

\----------------------------

 

They ended up spending the entire night on the diving tower since they fell asleep in each other’s arms. When they woke up because the sun was shining down on them they went to get breakfast.

Tom was waiting at an empty Hermes table while Cecil went to get them food. He claimed he wanted to surprise his new boyfriend with a nice breakfast. That turned out to be everything that the dining pavilion had to offer. Pancakes, fruit, bread, pastries, coffee, tea… Cecil smiled apologetically when he returned with the tray.

‘I didn’t know what you usually go for so I grabbed a little of everything,’ he said and blushed. Tom thought it was cute as heck.

‘Th-th-tha-ank you,’ he mumbled.

Cecil unloaded the food onto the table and reached for some pancakes. He poured syrup on them and chewed slowly. He was not looking at Tom now, which gave Tom an exceptional chance to study Cecil without getting too embarrassed. He was cute, for a Hermes kid. Cecil looked up and met Tom’s gaze, which made both of them blush. Tom looked at his plate and wringed his hands.

‘S-s-s-so-so-so-sorr-rr-rr-y,’ he stuttered.

‘For what? Looking at me?’

Tom glanced up and shrugged. Cecil got out of his seat and walked around the table so he could sit down on the same bench as his new boyfriend. He straddled the bench and reached up to slide his knuckles along Tom’s cheek.

‘You don’t have to apologize to me. You can stare at me all you want, but beware, it might just make me smile if I catch you.’

‘Y-you’re r-r-r-r-ri-d-did…’ Tom threw his hands up in the air in a resigned gesture.

‘Is embarrassment making it harder for you to speak?’ Cecil wanted to know. Tom glanced sideways at him and nodded. ‘Shame,’ Cecil continued. ‘You’re awfully cute when you blush, but I don’t want you to struggle too much either. I’ll try to keep the making you blush into a minimum.’

‘G-gee, th-th-thanks Ma-a-arkowitz.’

To this, Cecil just smirked.

‘I like it when you’re being sassy, Winters. Come here.’

Tom scooted closer to Cecil on the bench and leaned his head on Cecil’s shoulder.

‘G-gods I’m s-s-sore,’ he mumbled.

‘Yeah, I hear you. Want to head to my cabin to try and get some more sleep but in a proper bed this time?’

Tom nodded into Cecil’s shoulder, then he froze.

‘C-can I k-k-keep my-my cl-o-othes on?’ he asked into Cecil’s shirt. The Hermes boy laughed.

‘Sure you can. I’ll even lend you some shorts and a clean t-shirt if you want to because this shirt you’re wearing is kind of smelling like bonfire smoke.’

‘Thank you.’

Cecil gently pushed Tom off of him and stood up. Tom followed suit and in a burst of confidence he took Cecil’s hand. They walked through the warzone that was camp Half-blood after the party last night. There were red cups and sleeping demigods as far as the eye could see. Cecil pointed out to Tom where Jason Grace was sprawled out sleeping on the roof of the big house. It made Tom chuckle slightly.

‘Okay, we’re here,’ Cecil said and stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Hermes cabin. ‘I’ll go first. Make sure you step where I step and don’t touch anything. I can’t stress this enough.’

Tom nodded, wide-eyed. What was this, an _Indiana Jones_ movie? Cecil started up the stairs and Tom made sure to follow his boyfriend’s lead. When they were on the porch Cecil opened the door wide, not really thinking about what kind of sight would meet them in there. In retrospect he mused that he totally should have because they caught Mitchell and Connor in the act. In fact, just as Cecil opened the door wide enough for both him and Tom to see what was going on in there, the two boys in the bed seemed to orgasm at the same time. Tom was about to ask Cecil something but he choked on his words and hid his face in Cecil’s shoulder. Cecil, being  Hermes boy, chose to be more direct about confronting this situation.

‘This was about fucking time,’ he said.

The two boys in the bed both turned, horrified, towards the sound of the voice. Cecil was holding Tom firmly by the hand to ground him so he wouldn’t faint, run away or anything in that order. Mitchell squealed and dived down to hide under the cover. Connor started laughing.

‘Yeah, it was,’ he agreed.

Mitchell gathered enough courage to peek his head out from the cover and watch as Travis started to wake up at the sudden burst of sunlight in the cabin. Cecil had steered the horrified Athena boy towards his own bed and now they were sitting there. Tom was still mortified and way too embarrassed about the whole situation to look at either of them. Cecil was still holding his hand and cooing at him to try and calm him down. It didn’t help much, but at least Tom felt that Cecil had his back in uncomfortable situations which was nice.

While Connor grabbed a packet of wet wipes from the nightstand, and cleaned both him and Mitchell up, Travis sat up in his bed. He was rubbing his temples and he looked rather dead.

‘Ouch my fucking head.’

‘Hungover much?’ Connor asked with a smirk.

‘Like hell. What even happened last night?’

‘What you did I don’t know. You’re gonna have to ask Katie about that. I, however, got myself a boyfriend.’

‘About fucking time,’ Travis grumbled. ‘You’ve been complaining about Mitchell not getting your hints for weeks.’

Connor blushed deeply and looked apologetically at Mitchell. Mitchell chuckled. Cecil grinned over in his bed. He was stroking the back of Tom’s neck since he still had his face burrowed in Cecil’s shoulder.

‘I’m right here, Travis,’ Mitchell said.

‘Good,’ Travis said into his hands. ‘You needed to hear that.’

Mitchell laughed. Connor was crimson by now. He tried to hide his face in his hands but Mitchell pried them off him and kissed him instead.

‘I should go and check on my kids. See if any of them needs to be accompanied for breakfast.’

Connor nodded.

‘I’ll see you later.’

‘Definitely.’

Mitchell grabbed his boxers and pulled them on under the cover, then he stood up and put the rest of his clothes on. Cecil was shielding poor Tom’s eyes with his hand so he wouldn’t have to look at a practically naked Aphrodite boy first thing in the morning. The poor boy was embarrassed enough as it was. Mitchell grabbed his shower bag and gave Connor one last kiss before he sighed.

‘This is gonna be such a walk of shame.’

Connor smirked.

‘Definitely.’

When Tom heard the door being closed behind him he mumbled into Cecil’s shoulder:

‘I-is h-he gone?’

‘Yeah, you can look now,’ Cecil said. Tom shifted so he was sitting with his back against the wall and his legs were slung over Cecil’s lap. They were still holding hands.

‘Sorry about that,’ Connor said as he laid back in his bed and sighed contentedly.

‘No, you’re not,’ Cecil deadpanned.

‘No, I’m not,’ Connor said and grinned. ‘That was amazing. I am, however, sorry you had to see it.’

‘Was it everything you had ever hoped for?’ Travis asked. Cecil reached into his nightstand and fished up a box of aspirin which he threw at his brother. He hit Travis in the temple with the box which earned him a long tirade of rather eloquent cuss words.

‘It was!’ Connor exclaimed. ‘It was amazing and he’s my boyfriend now and I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy!’

‘You don’t have to scream,’ Travis grumbled while he swallowed the pills and threw them back in the general direction of Cecil’s bed. Tom caught the box one-handed which earned him a low, impressed whistle from his boyfriend.

‘Are you feeling better now?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,’ Tom nodded. ‘I-I just g-g-got k-kind of s-s-su-sur-prised.’

‘I hear you. _No one_ needs to see that. Now, did you want to borrow some clothes?’

Tom smiled and nodded. Cecil got out of bed and rummaged around in his chest for a while before resurfacing with a white t-shirt and a pair of cut off sweats which he handed to Tom. He told Tom he could change in the next room which was their game room. When Tom exited the dorm Connor quirked an eyebrow at him but Cecil smacked him on the chest and hissed:

‘He’s shy, don’t make any of your stupid comments.’

‘Gee, relax Markowitz. I’m not going to. You two kids have fun with whatever you’re going to do. I assume I have some shit to clean up.’

Tom came back into the dorm and the two boys burrowed under Cecil’s covers as Connor and Travis got dressed and left the cabin, all the while Travis was panting and grumbling.

‘Hey, d-did I e-e-ever t-thank you f-fo-for l-last night?’ Tom mumbled sleepily.

‘Thank me for what?’

‘S-saving m-m-me f-from the… s-s-spin… game…’

‘I think you did,’ Cecil smiled into Tom’s blonde hair. He still smelled slightly of camp fire smoke.

‘Good…’

‘Are you falling asleep?’

Tom nodded heavily.

‘Good. Sleep tight. Sweet dreams,’ Cecil managed before he, too, fell fast asleep.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come be my friend on tumblr!


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